Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker gets up close look at MBTA train cars set to be built in Springfield

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is getting an up close look at the new MBTA Orange Line cars.

Baker is scheduled to see a model on Tuesday. The model came via cargo ship from China and is sitting in Medford's Wellington Yard.

The Chinese-owned firm CRRC MA is building the cars inside a $95 million subway car factory in Springfield. The company has a contract with Massachusetts to build 152 Orange Line cars and 252 Red Line cars, and is seeking contracts with other US transit agencies.

Manufacturing inside the Springfield factory is scheduled to get underway in April 2018.

The estimated service date of the first new Orange Line car is currently set for early 2019, while the first Red Line car should be available in early 2020.

The MBTA became a focus of the Baker administration after a series of winter storms in 2015 crippled the transit agency's system. After receiving sign-off from state lawmakers, Baker installed a fiscal management and control board to oversee the troubled agency and institute reforms.

Even as the agency has outsourced some parts of its operations, the MBTA is still struggling with a $42 million budget gap, according to its officials.

One proposal to cut back on the gap - eliminating weekend service on the 11 commuter rail lines - drew pushback from transit advocates last week, and the governor appeared to back off that particular proposal.

"Our administration is exploring alternatives to last week's MBTA budget proposals to make weekend commuter rail service more efficient, and will not pursue proposals to eliminate weekend service altogether," he said in a statement to the State House News Service on Monday.